Flowers in August

kaitie · Aug 17, 2013

Okay, I have a couple of gardens that need to be redone. I planted a couple this spring, one with bulbs that have all bloomed and finished (it's covered in mulch), and one with flowers that have become rather unwieldy. I didn't pick a good combination, and some of my flowers from last year came back and I didn't have the heart to pull them up, and now it's just kind of a mess. I also did wildflower seeds in one and that just failed epically. Wonderful seedlings for about two weeks, then they all just up and died on me.

I'd like to replant the gardens soon before my work load gets to be too much to even consider it (ugh), but it occurs to me that mid-August is probably not the ideal planting time. We've actually had incredibly mild weather here lately, seventies and eighties, but that is about 15~20 degrees below what we usually have, so conceivably we could still get a week of 100+ weather.

What is my best option? Should I wait another few weeks and plant fall flowers? I could pull up what's there now and just lay mulch on the beds until I put something new in them.

I really don't want to plant and then have everything die again, but at the same time, they look pretty awful as is. We've had such mild weather and frequent rain that I'm tempted to just take a chance.

Is it worth it to try? And if I were to plant, are there any tips to make sure my gardens look nice for the next few months? My boyfriend build beautiful edges and we had a truckload of fertilizer and topsoil, and I hate to have it all go to waste.

shakeysix · Aug 17, 2013

chrysanthemums and rudbeckia are set to bloom now. sedum in a few weeks. they are on sale at garden centers now. as are spring bulbs but you can get a good buy on summer and spring perennials, some at less than half price. it is always fun to try something new when it is on sale. just read the tags to find the bloom time and height.

this is a good time to plant perennials because it is cooler to work outside. they won't do much this season but will come in strong next year. they are on sale in many garden centers right now and even if they look like the very devil will recover once they are in the ground and getting routine care.

if you want color right now it is too late for seeds but you can find bedding annuals like impatiens, violas and snaps that are root bound and under watered. begonias coleus and nierembergia look dead but will surprise someone who gives them a home. once they are in the ground the fall weather should revive them.

one year i bought a dozen six packs of brown and withered violas for 10 cents a pack in august because i was expecting company in mid september. they were in bloom until after thanksgiving. all for 1.20 cents.

this is a tip for next year from hermina suchy, my great grandmother: plant cosmo and zinnia seeds at the end of june through the first week of july. direct sow them, keep the seedlings watered and you will have gorgeous color when every thing else is bloomed out. zinnias especially thrive in a late planting.

nasturtiums are great this time of year too. they have to be planted in the spring and here in kansas they barely hang on until the nights get cool again--then they just take off, a cascade of round leaves and tiny bright orange and yellow flowers. i stick a couple of seeds in every bed and box to fill in bald spots. love the things and folks say they are edible.

good luck--s6

Flowers in August

kaitie

With great power comes

shakeysix

blue eyed floozy